Tragic end for famed 'spy' Beluga whale Hvaldimir in Norway
Hvaldimir was found dead in Risavika Bay in southern Norway. The male beluga whale – a marine mammal from the narwhal family – had appeared off the Norwegian coast a few years earlier, most likely coming from Russia.
Hvaldimir is a name that combines the Norwegian word hval (whale) and the name of the Russian president. The famous beluga owed this name to the unusual circumstances under which it appeared off the Norwegian coast.
The whale was spotted in 2019 near the Norwegian island of Ingøya. It was wearing a harness with a mount for a camera or photographic equipment, which it tried to remove by rubbing against a fisherman's boat. People helped it, discovering at the same time that the unusual accessory originated in Saint Petersburg.
Closer contact with the marine mammal revealed it was domesticated, accustomed to human presence, and willing to play with humans. The whale was also trained to recognise human gestures and respond to them.
Military use of marine mammals
Because Russia is one of the countries where military use programmes for marine mammals have been conducted, there were speculations that the beluga might have been trained for espionage tasks. According to other opinions, Hvaldimir might have been trained as a therapeutic animal.
The suspicions about espionage missions were based on knowledge of military use programmes for marine mammals. These have been or are still conducted by countries such as Russia, the United States, Ukraine, and Iran.
Animals are trained to protect naval bases and various infrastructure facilities, detect divers, and detect threats such as sea mines. Work with marine mammals has also contributed to the design of submarines.
Hvaldimir - interactions with humans
Hvaldimir interacted with humans multiple times over the years. For instance, he retrieved and returned a dropped smartphone to its owner, stole a knife from one diver, and then returned a GoPro camera. He also suffered injuries caused by motorboat propellers and improper treatment from people.
The plan to allocate part of one of the fjords as a safe haven for Hvaldimir – although approved by the local government in 2023 – was not realised. On 31 August, the death of the famous whale was confirmed.
